The presentations at the 2018 Entrepreneurial Librarian Conference at Wake Forest University described two Belk Library initiatives partnering with Elon students and staff.
Joan Ruelle, dean of the Carol Grotnes Belk Library, and Patrick Rudd, coordinator of library instruction and outreach services, presented “A Library’s Deep Dive into the Residential Campus: Creating a Library Living Learning Community.”
Ruelle and Rudd presented about Belk Library’s efforts in partnering with Residence Life for outreach programming particularly focused in the residential campus. The presentation included how libraries historically have interacted with students in their dorms and residence halls. Belk Library is in the process of creating a Library Living Learning Community (LLC) for students who love books, information, research and scholarship. The LLC invites students to participate more deeply in Belk Library, the academic heart of the residential campus.
Students in the LLC will have the opportunity to develop research skills, build their academic toolkit and foster strong relationships as they transition to college. This leap into residence life exemplifies a new opportunity for libraries to deepen involvement with intellectual and social life on campus. The presentation shared the story of developing the Library LLC and the hopes for meaningful engagement with students.
Ruelle also co-presented “Designing Better Partnerships for Student Success” with David Woodbury, department head, Learning Spaces & Services at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries. Ruelle and Woodbury shared their experiences with planning to incorporate new academic success partners in their respective library spaces, and how each library partnered deeply to build successful collaborative working models, identified shared goals and managed different departmental cultures.
The session offered lessons learned about planning, logistics, and trends, along with strategies to help library staff build successful partnerships with their new housemates. Elon’s Belk Library brought academic advising and the office of disabilities resources into renovated and expanded library spaces. The NCSU Libraries and the NCSU Division of Academic and Student Affairs are partnering to create an Academic Success Center in the D. H. Hill Library opening in Fall 2020.